Treatment apparatus and method of controlling same

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a treatment apparatus and a method of controlling the same, and provides a treatment apparatus including an insertion unit formed in such a way as to be inserted into a tissue through a tissue surface, a bending sensing unit sensing bending of the insertion unit occurring during insertion, and a controller controlling the insertion operation of the insertion unit based on information sensed by the bending sensing unit, and a method of controlling the same. In accordance with the present invention, there is an advantage in that a treatment effect can be improved because treatment can be performed in the state in which the insertion unit has been inserted into an accurate target location.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/071,413 filed Jul. 19, 2018 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,229,481 onJan. 25, 2022, which is a U.S. National Stage of PCT/KR2018/000418,filed Jan. 9, 2018, which claims the priority benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2017-0006030, filed on Jan. 13, 2017 in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a treatment apparatus and a method ofcontrolling the same and, more particularly, to a treatment apparatusinserted into a tissue of the human body to perform treatment using aninvasive method and a method of controlling the same.

BACKGROUND ART

A method of treating a tissue may be divided into a method of treating atissue outside the tissue and an invasive treatment method of treating atissue by inserting some of or the entire treatment apparatus into thetissue. The invasive treatment method basically uses a treatmentapparatus having a thin-necked insertion unit, such as a needle or acatheter. Treatment is performed after the treatment apparatus isinserted up to a target location within a tissue.

The invasive treatment method includes various treatment behaviors, suchas delivering a treating substance to the inside of a tissue, performingsurgical treatment through a mechanical operation in the state in whicha specific tissue within a tissue is adjacent, or delivering energy to atarget location within a tissue. The treatment method has been disclosedin Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2011-0000790, and isapplied in various methods.

In general, in the invasive treatment method, in a process of insertingan insertion unit into a tissue, displacement may occur as a tissuesurface is pressurized. Furthermore, as the diameter of the insertionunit is reduced for minimum invasion, the bending of the insertion unitmay occur in the insertion process. Accordingly, the insertion unit isnot inserted up to a desired target location. In this case, treatmentsensitive to a depth in which the treatment is performed, such as skintreatment, may have a problem in that a treatment effect is low oranother tissue is damaged.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

An object of the present invention is to provide a treatment apparatuscapable of inserting an insertion unit into an accurate target locationalthough the bending of the insertion unit or displacement of a tissuesurface occurs in a process of inserting the insertion unit into atissue, and a method of controlling the same.

Technical Solution

In order to accomplish the object, the present invention provides atreatment apparatus including an insertion unit formed in such a way asto be inserted into a tissue through a tissue surface, a bending sensingunit sensing bending of the insertion unit occurring during insertion,and a controller controlling the insertion operation of the insertionunit based on information sensed by the bending sensing unit.

When the bending of the insertion unit is sensed by the bending sensingunit, the controller may control the insertion operation of theinsertion unit so that the end of the insertion unit reaches a targetlocation in the state in which the bending of the insertion unit hasbeen restored.

Specifically, when the bending of the insertion unit is sensed by thebending sensing unit, the controller may perform control to advance theinsertion unit up to a restoration depth at which the bending isrestored, wait for a restoration time for which the bending of theinsertion unit is restored, and then retract the end of the insertionunit so that the end of the insertion unit reaches the target location.In this case, the restoration depth may be a layer where a layer havinga lower insertion resistance characteristic than a surface layer of thetissue is positioned. The restoration time may be between 0.05 secondand 1 second.

The restoration time may be the time until the bending of the insertionunit has been restored by the bending sensing unit or the restorationtime may be differently set depending on the degree of bending sensed bythe bending sensing unit.

The bending sensing unit may be configured to sense whether the bendingof the insertion unit occurs based on whether a support plate in whichthe insertion unit is positioned is inclined. Or, the bending sensingunit may include a motion sensor positioned at a location close to theend of the handpiece and sensing whether the insertion unit has beenbent.

Moreover, the treatment apparatus may further include a displacementsensing unit measuring displacement of the tissue surface occurring dueto the insertion of the insertion unit. The controller may control theinsertion operation of the insertion unit by taking into considerationdisplacement sensed by the displacement sensing unit. In this case, thecontroller may additionally insert the insertion unit in accordance withdisplacement occurring in the tissue surface.

The insertion unit may include a plurality of micro needles. The microneedle may have a diameter of 10 to 1000 μm. Furthermore, the insertionunit may include an energy transfer member transferring energy to thetarget location in the state in which the insertion unit has beeninserted into the tissue.

Moreover, when the bending is sensed to be not restored through theinsertion operation, the controller may control to transfer energyhaving lower output than preset energy to the target location or to nottransfer energy to the target location.

Meanwhile, the present invention may provide a treatment apparatus,including a handpiece, an insertion unit formed in such a way as to popin and out to and from one side of the handpiece and inserted into atissue to transfer energy to a target location, a bending sensing unitsensing bending of the insertion unit occurring during insertion of theinsertion unit, and a controller controlling an insertion operation ofthe insertion unit based on information sensed by the bending sensingunit.

Furthermore, the present invention may provide a method of controlling atreatment apparatus, including the steps of positioning an insertionunit on a tissue surface, inserting the insertion unit into the tissueby advancing the insertion unit, sensing bending of the insertion unitoccurring during the insertion of the insertion unit, and controlling aninsertion operation of the insertion unit based on the sensed bendinginformation.

In this case, the step of controlling the insertion operation mayinclude advancing the insertion unit up to a restoration depth at whichthe bending is restored and then retracting the insertion unit to atarget location when the bending of the insertion unit is sensed througha bending sensing unit. Moreover, the step of controlling the insertionoperation may include the step of waiting for a restoration time forwhich the bending of the insertion unit is stored in the state in whichthe insertion unit has been advanced up to the restoration depth.

Furthermore, the step of sensing the bending may include sensing thebending by measuring a gradient of the support plate in which theinsertion unit is positioned or sensing whether the insertion unit hasbeen bent using a motion sensor positioned at a location close to theend of the handpiece.

Advantageous Effects

In accordance with the present invention, there is an advantage in thata treatment effect can be improved because treatment can be performed inthe state in which the insertion unit has been inserted up to anaccurate target location. Furthermore, a problem, such as damage to aneighboring tissue occurring because treatment is performed in the statein which the insertion unit has not been sufficiently inserted up to atarget location, can be prevented.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a treatmentapparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 to 5 are schematic diagrams showing an example of a treatmentstep by the treatment apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the displacement characteristics of sometissues according to applied pressure.

FIGS. 7 to 11 are schematic diagrams showing an example of a treatmentstep by the treatment apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling the treatmentapparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart more specifically showing a first mode in FIG.12.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the steps of a second mode in FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the steps of a modified example of thesecond mode in FIG. 12.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the steps of another modified example ofthe second mode in FIG. 12.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the steps of yet another modified exampleof the second mode in FIG. 12.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a treatment apparatus according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the handpiece of the treatmentapparatus of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the end of the handpiece of FIG.19.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of one of aplurality of needles of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing the state right before theneedles are inserted during a treatment process using the handpiece ofFIG. 20.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the needleshave been inserted during a treatment process using the handpiece ofFIG. 20.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified embodiment of thehandpiece of FIG. 19.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view showing another modified embodiment ofthe handpiece of FIG. 19.

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of thehandpiece in an insertion operation according to another embodiment.

MODE FOR INVENTION

Hereinafter, a treatment apparatus according to embodiments of thepresent invention are described in detail with reference to thedrawings. In the following description, the location relations betweenelements are described in principle based on the drawings. Furthermore,the drawings may be enlarged and shown in order to simplify thestructure of the invention for convenience of description or ifnecessary. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited thereto,and various devices may be added, changed or omitted.

Hereinafter, a “treatment apparatus” includes all apparatuses fortreating mammals including people. The treatment apparatus may includemay include various treatment apparatuses used to improve a lesion orthe state of a tissue. For example, the treatment apparatus includes anapparatus transferring treating substances, such as medicines,anesthetic, and stem cells, an operation apparatus for surgicallytreating a specific tissue, and various treatment apparatusestransferring RF energy.

Hereinafter, a “tissue” means a set of cells forming various body organsof an animal including people, and includes various tissues formingvarious organs within the body, including a skin tissue.

Hereinafter, an “insertion unit” means an element that belongs to atreatment apparatus and that is inserted into a tissue. The insertionunit has a lengthy structure having a sharp and thin end, such as aneedle, micro needle or a catheter, and includes various structuresinserted into a tissue through a surface of the tissue.

Hereinafter, a treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of thepresent invention is described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a treatmentapparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Asshown in FIG. 1, the treatment apparatus according to the presentinvention includes an insertion unit 10 formed in such a way as to beinserted into a tissue, a driving unit 20 moving the insertion unit, atreatment operation unit 30 for performing treatment on a tissue throughthe insertion unit, a displacement sensing unit 40 for sensingdisplacement of a tissue surface, and a controller 60 controlling theoperations of various elements, including a state sensing unit forsensing the state of the insertion unit occurring during treatment, thedriving unit, and the treatment operation unit.

The insertion unit 10 is an element inserted up to a tissue through atissue surface as described above. The insertion unit 10 has a lengthystructure having a sharp end and a small diameter so that it can beeasily inserted into a tissue. In the present embodiment, the insertionunit 10 includes a plurality of needles, but may have variousstructures, such as a singular needle structure or catheter. Forexample, the insertion unit 10 may include a plurality of micro needles.The micro needle may be a needle having a diameter of a range of severalto several thousands of and may preferably use a needle having adiameter of 10 to 1000 μm.

The insertion unit 10 further includes an element necessary for theexecution of treatment depending on a treatment method of the treatmentapparatus. For example, in the case of a treatment apparatus thatperforms treatment using a method of transferring a treatment substance,the insertion unit may include a channel for injecting a treatmentsubstance therein. Alternatively, in the case of a treatment apparatusthat performs treatment using a method of transferring RF energy to theinside of a tissue, the insertion unit may include an electrode fortransferring RF energy. The insertion unit 10 is positioned in ahandpiece, and may be configured to be advanced and retracted to andfrom the end of the handpiece and inserted into a tissue.

The driving unit 20 is an element that linearly moves the insertion unit10 so that the insertion unit advances and retracts. The insertion unit10 performs an operation of being inserted into a tissue or drawn outfrom a tissue by the driving of the driving unit 20. For example, thedriving unit 20 may be configured using an actuator or may be configuredusing various driving members.

The treatment operation unit 30 is an element operating for theexecution of treatment. The location where treatment is actuallyperformed is the end of the insertion unit 10 positioned within atissue. The treatment operation unit 30 is an element supporting atreatment operation performed at the end of the insertion unit. Forexample, the treatment operation unit 30 may have a pump or valve fortransferring a treatment substance from a treatment substanceaccommodation unit (not shown) to the end of the insertion unit. Foranother example, the treatment operation unit may be an RF generator forsupplying RF energy to the end of the insertion unit. In addition, thetreatment operation unit may have various elements depending on atreatment method of the treatment apparatus.

The controller 60 controls the operations of various elements of thetreatment apparatus, including the driving unit 20 and the treatmentoperation unit 30. The controller 60 may perform treatment by drivingthe elements based on a user's control or a preset mode. The controllermay further include a separate database or processor. Accordingly, whena variety of types of information necessary for control is transmittedto the controller, the controller may derive a proper control signalusing previously stored data or a calculation method based on suchinformation.

Meanwhile, the sensing units 40 and 50 are elements for sensing majorparameters while the treatment apparatus operates. The sensing unit mayinclude various sensors for measuring necessary parameters. The sensingunit of the present embodiment may include the displacement sensing unitand/or the state sensing unit, for example.

The displacement sensing unit 40 measures a gap occurring between theend of a handpiece and a tissue surface when the insertion unit 10 isinserted into a tissue, more specifically, displacement of a tissuesurface occurring when the insertion unit is inserted. The displacementof a tissue surface occurs due to pressurization or a friction force dueto the insertion unit during insertion. The displacement affects thedepth of a needle inserted into a tissue. Accordingly, a value measuredby the displacement sensing unit 40 is transmitted to the controller 60.The controller 60 may control the insertion operation of the insertionunit 10 based on the value.

Hereinafter, displacement occurring when the insertion unit is insertedis described more specifically with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. FIGS. 2to 5 are schematic diagrams showing an example of a treatment step bythe treatment apparatus of FIG. 1, and show a process of performingtreatment by inserting the insertion unit into a target location of adepth D within a tissue.

FIG. 2 shows the state in which a handpiece H has been positioned on asurface of a tissue T. This step may be the state in which the drivingunit has never been driven, and may be the state in which the drivingunit has started to operate, but the end of the insertion unit has notcome into contact with a tissue surface. As described above, FIG. 2shows the state in which the insertion unit 10 has not pressurized asurface A of the tissue. Accordingly, separate displacement does notoccur in the tissue surface, and separate displacement does not occur ata target location.

FIG. 3 shows the state in which the driving unit 20 operates and thusthe end of the insertion unit 10 has pressurized the surface of thetissue. At the early stage of the insertion operation of the insertionunit 10, the surface of the tissue is pressurized in the state in whichit has not been penetrated by the insertion unit. Accordingly, thesurface A of the tissue experiences displacement of a1 in the inwarddirection of the tissue. The tissue has a structure in which cells, etc.have been organized with high density. Accordingly, when displacementoccurs on the surface A of the tissue, a target location B alsoexperiences displacement of b1 in the inward direction of the tissue.

FIG. 4 shows the state in which the insertion unit 10 has been insertedinto the tissue by advancing the insertion unit by a first length. Inthis case, the first length may be a length corresponding to D (depthwith respect to a surface before the tissue surface is pressurized bythe insertion unit), that is, the depth of the target location beforethe insertion unit is inserted into the tissue.

As shown in FIG. 4, in this state, the surface of the tissue experiencesdisplacement of a2 in the inward direction of the tissue, and the targetlocation also experiences displacement of b2 in the inward direction ofthe tissue. The reason for this is that while the insertion unit 10 isinserted, a force acts in the direction in which displacement furtheroccurs by a friction force and the restoration of displacement islimited by the elasticity of the tissue. Accordingly, the tissue canmaintain a pressurized state in the state in which the insertion unithas been inserted, and the state in which displacement has occurred inthe tissue surface and the target location can also be maintained.

As described above, although the insertion unit 10 is controlled toadvance by the first length corresponding to the target location B, theend of the insertion unit does not reach the target location B becausethe depth of the insertion unit 10 inserted into the tissue is smallerthan the first length (in this case, the depth of the insertion unitinserted into the tissue may be D ?? a2). Accordingly, the presentembodiment performs control for compensating for this. Specifically, thedisplacement sensing unit 40 measures displacement of the tissuesurface. The controller 60 may additionally control the operation of theinsertion unit based on the measured displacement so that the end of theinsertion unit 10 reaches the target location.

FIG. 5 is the state in which the insertion unit has been additionallyinserted by a second length in FIG. 4. In this case, the second lengthcorresponds to a compensation depth by tissue displacement. Byadditionally inserting the insertion unit 10 by the second length asshown in FIG. 5, the end of the insertion unit can reach the targetlocation, and thus treatment may be performed.

Description is given based on FIG. 1. The displacement sensing unit 40is an element that measures displacement occurring in a surface of atissue while the insertion unit is inserted. The displacement sensingunit 40 may be configured using various sensor devices capable ofmeasuring displacement.

For example, the displacement sensing unit 40 may be configured using aphotosensor positioned to neighbor a contact surface of the handpiece Hcoming into contact with the surface of the tissue. The photosensor mayradiate light to the surface of the tissue and measure displacement ofthe surface by receiving light reflected by the surface. For anotherexample, the displacement sensing unit may include a movable memberpositioned to be movable in response to displacement of the tissuesurface and a displacement sensing unit and a sensing member measuringthe amount of movement of the movable member. Specifically, the movablemember is positioned to be supported by the surface of the tissue in thestate in which it can freely move vertically. When the movable membermoves by an amount corresponding to displacement occurred when tissuedisplacement occurs, the sensing member may measure displacement of thetissue surface by measuring the amount of movement of the movablemember.

Meanwhile, the controller 60 may determine a value of the second lengthcorresponding to a compensation depth based on displacement of a tissuesurface measured by the displacement sensing unit 40. In this case, thevalue of the second length may be a displacement value of a targetlocation that is expected based on the displacement of the tissuesurface. In this case, the characteristics of the tissue are differentdepending on a treatment portion, race, age, etc. The second length maybe determined in various manners by taking into consideration thecharacteristics of the tissue.

For example, if a tissue corresponding to a treatment location has a lowelasticity characteristic or if insertion has already been performed ona tissue in a pressurized state, displacement of a tissue surface anddisplacement within the tissue have almost a similar size. In this case,the controller 60 may determine a value of the second length to be thesame as the displacement of the tissue surface.

In contrast, if a tissue has high elasticity, displacement of a tissuesurface and displacement within the tissue may be different. Forexample, FIG. 6 is a graph showing the displacement characteristics ofsome tissues according to applied pressure. As shown in FIG. 6, in thestate in which pressurization has been applied by the same force,relatively great displacement occurs on a tissue surface, whereasrelatively small displacement occurs toward the inside of the tissue. Inthe case of a tissue having different displacement depending on thedepth as described above, the controller 60 may determine a value of thesecond length through a separate calculation process using adisplacement value of a measured surface as a variable or may determinea value of the second length with reference to the displacement value ofthe tissue surface and an already stored database.

When the value of the second length is determined as described above,the controller 60 compensates for an insufficient insertion depth bycontrolling the driving unit 20 so that the insertion unit 10 isadditionally inserted by the second length. Accordingly, when the end ofthe insertion unit 10 reaches a target location, the controller 60performs treatment at the target location by driving the treatmentoperation unit 30.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the sensing unit according to the presentinvention may include the state sensing unit in addition to thedisplacement sensing unit 40. In this case, the state sensing unit isfor sensing the state of the insertion unit while treatment isperformed. In this case, the state of the insertion unit may beconstrued as being various meanings, such as bending information of theinsertion unit, damage information, and removal information.Furthermore, the controller may perform a control operation by takinginto consideration information about the state of the insertion unitsensed by the state sensing unit in addition to the displacement sensingunit.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the state sensing unit according to thepresent invention may include a bending sensing unit 50 for sensing thebending of the insertion unit occurring during treatment. The insertionunit 10 formed of micro needles has a structure having low resistance tobending. Accordingly, bending may occur while the insertion unit isinserted into a tissue through a tissue surface. The bending of theinsertion unit 30 occurs when insertion resistance of a tissue isgreater than bending resistance of the insertion unit. The insertionresistance characteristic of a tissue may be determined by variousfactors, such as the structure, component, density, etc. of each tissuelayer. Furthermore, the bending of the insertion unit may occur in thestate in which the insertion unit has been inserted into a tissue inaddition to a process of pressurizing a surface of the tissue. In thecase of a micro needle in which bending has occurred, the elastic forceof the micro needle acts as a restoring force. If the insertionresistance characteristic of a tissue is greater than the restoringforce of the insertion unit, however, the insertion unit maintains thebent state within the tissue. When bending occurs in the insertion unitas described above, although the driving unit drives the insertion unitso that it advances by a given length, the end of the insertion unitdoes not sufficiently advance by a target length. Accordingly, thebending sensing unit 50 senses whether the bending of the insertion unitoccurs during insertion or the degree of bending occurred. Thecontroller 60 may control an insertion operation or treatment contentsbased on the information sensed by the bending sensing unit so that anerror attributable to the occurrence of bending can be compensated for.

Hereinafter, behavior characteristics according to the bending of theinsertion unit are described more specifically with reference to FIGS. 7to 11. FIGS. 7 to 11 are schematic diagrams showing an example of atreatment step by the treatment apparatus of FIG. 1, and show a processof inserting the insertion unit into a target location of a depth Dwithin a tissue and performing treatment.

FIG. 7 shows the state in which a handpiece H has been positioned on asurface of a tissue T as in FIG. 2. Furthermore, FIG. 8 shows the statein which the end of the insertion unit 10 has pressurized the surface ofthe tissue by the driving unit 20. In this case, displacement occurs onthe surface A of the tissue as in FIG. 3. Furthermore, bending occurs inthe insertion unit because surface tension of the tissue acts as a forceresistant to the insertion.

FIG. 9 shows the state in which the driving unit 20 continues to drivethe insertion unit 10 by a first length and thus the insertion unit hasbeen inserted into the tissue. The first length is a lengthcorresponding to D, that is, the depth of a target location before theinsertion unit 10 pressurizes the tissue. As in FIG. 9, when aninsertion resistance characteristic within the tissue is greater thanthe elastic force of the insertion unit, the insertion unit is insertedinto the tissue in the state in which bending has not restored. In thiscase, although the insertion unit is advanced by the first length withrespect to a support plate 11, the insertion unit does not advance bythe first length due to the bending with respect to the end of theinsertion unit 10. Furthermore, as described above with reference toFIG. 4, the insertion unit may not be inserted into the tissue by theadvanced length due to displacement of the tissue attributable to thepressurization of the insertion unit against the tissue.

The end of the insertion unit does not reach the target location B ofthe tissue due to the bending of the insertion unit and the displacementof the tissue as described above. Furthermore, if the insertion unit isinserted into the tissue in the state in which it has been bent andtreatment is performed, there is a danger of damage to a tissue on aretracting path in the process of retracting the insertion unit.Accordingly, the bending sensing unit 50 of the present embodimentsenses whether the insertion unit 10 has bent during treatment. Thecontroller 60 controls the insertion operation of the insertion unit 10based on bending information sensed by the bending sensing unit 50.Furthermore, FIGS. 10 and 8 show an example of insertion controlcontents for compensating for the occurrence of bending.

FIG. 10 shows the state in which the end of the insertion unit has beeninserted up to a restoration depth C at which the bending of theinsertion unit 10 may be restored. In general, the insertion resistancecharacteristic of a tissue is decreased toward the inside of the tissue.The restoration depth means a depth at which the bending of theinsertion unit is restored. A tissue positioned at the restoration depthhas an insertion resistance characteristic compared to the surface layerof the tissue. In this case, the restoration depth may be a depth atwhich a tissue under the dermal layer of a skin tissue is positioned ora depth at which a subcutaneous fat layer is positioned. The insertionunit 10 additionally advances by a third length, and thus the end of theinsertion unit reaches the restoration depth. In this case, as describedabove, the third length may be set by taking into considerationdisplacement of a tissue occurring in the insertion process of theinsertion unit.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the end of the insertion unit 10 reaches therestoration depth C, the bending of the insertion unit 10 is restored bythe elasticity of the insertion unit, so the insertion unit can maintaina straight-line state again.

The phenomenon in which the bending of the insertion unit is restoredmay be achieved while the end of the insertion unit reaches therestoration depth. Alternatively, the insertion unit waits for aspecific time in the state in which the end of the insertion unit hasreached the restoration depth, and the bending of the insertion unit maybe restored during the waiting time. The waiting time (restoration time)may be a previously set time. Alternatively, the waiting time may bedifferently set based on the degree of bending of the insertion unitsensed by the bending sensing unit 50 in a specific state (e.g., thestate in which the insertion unit has advanced up to the first depth).Alternatively, the waiting time may be controlled to be ended when thebending sensing unit senses that the bending of the insertion unit hasbeen restored.

FIG. 11 shows the state in which the insertion unit 10 has beenretracted so that the end of the insertion unit is positioned at thetarget location B in the state in which the bending of the insertionunit has been restored state. While the insertion unit retracts up tothe target location B, some of or the entire pressure applied to thetissue may be released or a force having a direction opposite thedirection in which a force is applied to the tissue in a previous stepmay be applied. Accordingly, the length that the insertion unit isretracted in this step may be different depending on the characteristicsof the tissue or the depth of the target location and a restorationdepth. For example, the lengthy that the insertion unit is retracted inthis step may be a difference between the depth C at the restorationlocation and the depth at the target location B. For another example,the insertion unit may be retracted by the third length additionallyadvanced in the previous step. Alternatively, the retraction length maybe determined with reference to data previously stored in the database.When the end of the insertion unit reaches the target location B throughsuch a step, treatment may be performed at the target location.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in order to perform the aforementionedoperation, the bending sensing unit 50 sensing whether the insertionunit has been bent may be configured using various sensor devices.

For example, the bending sensing unit 50 of the present embodiment maydetermine whether the insertion unit has been bent by sensing thegradient of the support plate 11 where the insertion unit is positioned.In this case, the support plate 11 is a plate-shaped structure in whicha plurality of micro needles corresponding to the insertion unit isdisposed (refer to FIGS. 2 to 5 and 7 to 11), and may be a PCB forapplying current to the plurality of micro needles, for example. Asshown in FIGS. 7 to 11, if the support plate is configured in astructure separated from the actuator of the driving unit or connectedto be capable of a hinge behavior, the support plate is inclined towardthe direction in which the bending of the insertion unit occurs, thusform a slope. Accordingly, the bending generation unit 50 may sensewhether bending occurs or the degree of bending by sensing whether theslope of the support plate occurs or the gradient of the support plate.

Specifically, the bending sensing unit 50 may include at least onesensor (not shown) positioned inside the handpiece. The sensors aredisposed in the outer circumference of the support plate 11, and mayconfirm whether the slope of the support plate has occurred by sensing alocation at the edge of the support plate at each location.

In addition to the aforementioned element, the bending sensing unit mayinclude a motion sensor positioned at a location close to the end of thehandpiece coming into contact with a tissue surface. The motion sensormay include an image sensor for determining whether the insertion unithas been bent. Alternatively, the motion sensor may be configured usinga sensor capable of determining a change in the location of a marker(e.g., a magnetic body) formed at the center of the insertion unit.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling the treatmentapparatus of FIG. 1. Hereinafter, the method of controlling thetreatment apparatus of the present embodiment is described withreference to FIG. 12.

First, the insertion unit 10 of the treatment apparatus is positioned atthe treatment location of a tissue (S10). Specifically, one end of thehandpiece to and from which the insertion unit 10 is advanced andretracted is positioned to neighbor or come into contact with a surfaceof the tissue corresponding to the treatment location.

Furthermore, the step of setting a first length is performed (S20). Inthis case, the first length is set to have a size corresponding to thedepth of a target location B within the tissue. For example, the firstlength may be set as a distance value D from the surface of the tissuethat has not been pressurized to the target location. Or, the firstlength may be set as a distance value from a contact surface of thehandpiece coming into contact with the surface of the tissue whentreatment is performed to the target location. In this case, if theinitial location of the insertion unit has been separated from thesurface of the tissue, the first length may be a value of the sum of thedistance from the initial location to the tissue surface and the targetlocation from the tissue surface.

Thereafter, the step of primarily inserting the insertion unit isperformed (S30). The controller 60 drives the driving unit 20 so thatthe insertion unit 10 is advanced by the first length and thus insertedinto the tissue through the surface of the tissue. In this process,displacement of the tissue occurs as the tissue is pressurized, so theinsertion unit 10 may not reach the target location.

When the primary insertion step of the insertion unit 10 is performed,the bending sensing unit 50 performs the step of sensing whether thebending of the insertion unit occurs and/or the degree of bending (S40).For example, the bending sensing unit 50 includes a plurality of sensorsincluded in the handpiece, and may sense bending using a method ofmeasuring a gradient of the support plate 11 in which the insertion unithas been positioned. In this case, in addition to the gradientmeasurement method, a motion sensor for measuring the behavior of theinsertion unit using various methods, such as an image acquisitionmethod and a marker location sensing method as described above, may beused.

The bending information of the insertion unit sensed by the bendingsensing unit 50 is transmitted to the controller 60. The controllerdetermines whether the bending of the insertion unit has occurred basedon the information transmitted by the bending sensing unit (S50). If, asa result of the determination, it is determined that the degree of thebending of the insertion unit is a reference value or less, thecontroller determines that bending has not substantially occurred, andcontrols the insertion operation in a first mode corresponding to anormal mode (S60). Furthermore, if it is determined that the degree ofbending is greater than the reference value, the controller determinesthat bending has substantially occurred, and controls the insertionoperation in a second mode for compensating for an error of an insertiondepth attributable to the bending (S70). The reference value may bedifferently set by taking into consideration the length and diameter ofa micro needle or the depth of a target location.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart more specifically showing the first mode in FIG.12. Hereinafter, the first mode is described in detail with reference toFIG. 13.

The displacement sensing unit 40 measures displacement occurred in thetissue surface (S61). FIGS. 12 and 13 show that displacement is sensedafter the primary insertion step is terminated, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto. Displacement may be measured in realtime while the primary insertion step is performed. Furthermore,displacement may be measured prior to the bending sensing step orsimultaneously with the bending sensing step.

The displacement measured in this step may be displacement in which atissue surface right before the insertion unit 10 pressurizes the tissuesurface is a reference location. In this step, displacement of thetissue surface may be measured in the state in which the insertion unit10 has completed the primary insertion step. In this case, if it isdetermined that a difference between values is minute depending on thecharacteristics of a tissue, for the consecutive execution of subsequentsteps, a surface displacement value when the insertion unit penetratesthe tissue surface or a surface displacement value while the insertionunit performs the primary insertion step may be measured and used. Thedisplacement sensing unit 40 measures displacement using theaforementioned various sensing methods. The measured displacement valueis transmitted to the controller 60.

The controller 60 sets a second length corresponding to a compensationdepth based on the measured displacement value (S62). A value of thesecond length may be determined using various methods as describedabove. For example, the second length may be set as the same value as adisplacement value of the tissue surface sensed by the displacementsensing unit. Alternatively, the value of the second length may beobtained through a separate calculation process using a displacementvalue of the tissue surface as a variable or may be determined withreference to the displacement value of the tissue surface and a presetdatabase.

When the second length is set, the controller 60 additionally controlsthe insertion operation of the insertion unit 10 based on the set secondlength (S63). This step is a secondary insertion step, and includesadditionally inserting the insertion unit by the second length bydriving the driving unit 20. Accordingly, the end of the insertion unit10 may reach up to the target location.

When the end of the insertion unit 10 reaches the target location, thecontroller 60 performs a treatment step by driving the treatmentoperation unit 30 (S64). This step may be performed in various formsdepending on a treatment method of the treatment apparatus. For example,a treatment substance from the treatment operation unit may betransferred and injected into the target location through the end of theinsertion unit. Alternatively, the treatment operation unit may generateRF energy and deliver electrical energy to the target location throughan electrode at the end of the insertion unit.

When the treatment is terminated through the aforementioned process, thecontroller 60 terminates the operation of the treatment operation unit30 and performs the step of retracting the insertion unit 10 bycontrolling the driving unit 20 (S80). Through this step, the insertionunit 10 inserted into the tissue is drawn out from the tissue surface,so the treatment at the corresponding treatment location may becompleted.

Meanwhile, when the occurrence of bending of the insertion unit issensed in the bending sensing step, the controller controls theinsertion operation of the insertion unit in the second mode. FIG. 14 isa flowchart showing the steps of the second mode in FIG. 12.Hereinafter, the first mode is described in detail with reference toFIG. 14.

First, as shown in FIG. 14, the displacement sensing unit 50 measuresdisplacement occurred in the tissue surface (S71). As in S61 of thefirst mode, in this step, the displacement is measured by thedisplacement sensing unit, and the measured value is transmitted to thecontroller. In this case, compared to the first mode, in the secondmode, not only pressurization attributable to the driving of the drivingunit, but a restoring force attributable to the bending of the insertionunit acts on the tissue surface. Accordingly, slightly greatdisplacement may be sensed compared to the tissue surface displacementoccurring in the first mode.

The controller 60 sets a third length, that is, an additional advancinglength by which the end of the insertion unit reaches a restorationdepth (S72). As described above, the restoration depth is a depth atwhich ?? of the insertion unit may be restored because the tissue hasweak insertion resistance, and may be determined by taking intoconsideration the structure of the insertion unit and characteristicinformation of a diseased part. The restoration depth may be determinedusing a value set by a user or using information stored in the database.

In this step, the controller 60 calculates the third length for reachingthe restoration depth by taking into consideration a displacement valuesensed by the displacement measurement unit 40. This is similar to themethod of calculating the second length in the first mode, and thus adetailed description thereof is omitted.

When the third length is set, the controller 60 additionally inserts theinsertion unit by driving the driving unit 20 so that the end of theinsertion unit reaches the restoration depth (S73).

Furthermore, the insertion unit waits for a given restoration time inthe state in which the end of the insertion unit has been located at therestoration depth (S74). While this step is performed, the insertionunit 10 may be restored in a straight line using its own elasticrestoring force generated by bending within the tissue having weakinsertion resistance. In this case, as described above, the restorationtime may be determined in various manners and may be preferably between0.05 second and 1 second.

In this case, FIG. 14 shows the waiting step for the restoration time.In the case where a restoration depth and tissue characteristics aretaken into consideration, if the bending of the insertion unit isexpected to be restored while the step S73 is performed, this step maybe omitted without a separate waiting time.

When the bending of the insertion unit is restored through theaforementioned step, the controller 60 performs an operation ofretracting the insertion unit 10 up to the target location B by drivingthe driving unit 20 (S75). In this case, the length that the insertionunit is retracted may be set in various manners as described above. Insetting the retracting length, the retracting length may be set byadditionally taking into consideration displacement of the tissueoccurring upon retraction. Through this step, the end of the insertionunit is located at the target location. At this time, the micro needlescorresponding to the insertion unit may maintain a straight line shape.

In this state, as in the first mode, the controller 60 performs atreatment step by driving the treatment operation unit 30. When thetreatment step is completed, the controller retracts the insertion unitby controlling the driving unit, thereby terminating the treatment.

An operation of the second mode for compensating for an errorattributable to the bending of the insertion unit has been describedbased on FIG. 14. In addition, the operation contents of the second modemay be configured in various manners. Various modified examples of thesecond mode are described below with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the steps of a modified example of thesecond mode in FIG. 12. The second mode shown in FIG. 14 is a methodincluding the step of restoring bending so that treatment can beperformed in the state in which the bending of the insertion unit hasbeen restored. In this case, if damage to the tissue rarely occursalthough the insertion unit is advanced or retracted in the state inwhich the insertion unit has been bent, the insertion unit may operateup to the target location so that the insertion unit is inserted in thestate in which it has been bent and treatment is performed (refer to thesecond mode shown in FIG. 15).

Description is given based on FIG. 15. Displacement of the tissuesurface is measured through the displacement sensing unit (S71 a).Furthermore, the controller set the second length in which the end ofthe insertion unit may reach the target location (S72 a).

In this case, the step S62 of setting the second length in the firstmode is performed by taking into consideration displacement informationsensed by the displacement sensing unit, whereas the step S72 a ofsetting the second length in FIG. 15 may be performed by taking intoconsideration both displacement sensed by the displacement sensing unit40 and the degree of bending sensed by the bending sensing unit 50. Whenthe bending of the insertion unit 10 occurs as described above, theadvancing length of the end of the insertion unit 10 becomes shorterthan the advancing length of the support plate 11. Accordingly, thecontroller 60 sets an additionally inserted second length by adding anerror attributable to the occurrence of displacement and an errorattributable to the occurrence of bending. In this case, the errorattributable to the occurrence of bending may be different depending onthe degree of bending. The controller may set an error attributable tothe occurrence of bending using the degree of bending and informationstored in the database.

When the second length is set using such a method, the controllerperforms a secondary insertion step by driving the driving unit (S73 a).Accordingly, the end of the insertion unit reaches the target location,and a treatment step 74 a may be subsequently performed.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the steps of another modified example ofthe second mode in FIG. 12. The second mode shown in FIG. 14 is a methodof restoring bending after the insertion unit is additionally advancedup to the restoration depth. In this case, if the location into whichthe insertion unit has been inserted through the primary insertion stephas a low insertion resistance characteristic, the step of separatelyinserting the insertion unit up to the restoration depth may be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 16, when bending is sensed in the state in which theinsertion unit 10 has been inserted into the first depth, a waiting stepmay be performed without a separate movement so that the bending of theinsertion unit is restored (S71 b). A restoration time may be between0.05 second and 1 second. If the target location B is under the dermallayer under the skin or is a tissue having low insertion resistance,such as a subcutaneous fat layer, the waiting step is performed for agiven time in the state in which the primary insertion step has beenperformed. Accordingly, the bending of the insertion unit can berestored by the elastic restoring force of the insertion unit.

Accordingly, when the bending is restored, surface displacement of thetissue may be measured (S72 b), a second length may be set (S73 b), anda secondary insertion step may be performed by driving the driving unit(S74 b). In this modified example, since the bending of the insertionunit has been restored in the step S71 b, subsequent steps S72 b to S74b may be performed using the same method as the steps S61 to S63 of thefirst mode. Thereafter, a treatment step S75 b is performed at thetarget location, so the operation of the second mode may be terminated.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the steps of yet another modified exampleof the second mode in FIG. 12. The second modes shown in FIGS. 14 to 16have been focused on a method of reaching, by the end of the insertionunit, a target location in despite of the occurrence of bending. Incontrast, the second mode of FIG. 17 may be configured to perform atreatment step differently from the first mode. Specifically, in thesecond mode of FIG. 17, the steps S71 c to S73 c of measuringdisplacement, setting a second length, and performing secondaryinsertion are performed using the same method as the steps S61 to S63 ofthe first mode. In this case, since an error attributable to theoccurrence of bending is not incorporated, the end of the insertion unitdoes not reach the target location accurately in the state in which thesecondary insertion step has been performed. Accordingly, in performinga treatment step (S74 c), the treatment is performed using a parameterdifferent form that in the treatment step S64 of the first mode. Forexample, if treatment is performed using a method of transferring RFenergy through the end of the insertion unit, the RF energy transferredthrough the end of the insertion unit may be controlled so that it islower than RF energy transferred in the first mode.

As described above, the second mode controlled by incorporating theoccurrence of bending may be performed in various manners as describedabove. The second mode may be changed in various manners depending onthe tissue characteristics of a lesion and a diseased part andperformed.

Furthermore, in FIGS. 12 to 17, the execution of the second modedifferent from that of the first mode corresponding to a normal modewhen the occurrence of bending is sensed has been basically described.The second mode may be controlled in such a way as to directly perform aremoval step without performing an additional treatment operation whenthe occurrence of bending is sensed.

The steps of the method of controlling the treatment apparatus accordingto the present invention have been described above. In FIGS. 12 to 17,the steps have been illustrated as being sequentially performed, but arenot limited thereto. The sequence of the steps may be changed and thechanged steps may be performed. A plurality of steps may be performed atthe same time. For example, the step of setting the first length may beperformed before the insertion unit is positioned at the treatmentlocation. Furthermore, the step of measuring displacement may beperformed simultaneously with the primary insertion step or may beperformed simultaneously with the step of sensing bending. Furthermore,the primary insertion step and the secondary insertion step have beenillustrated as being separate steps, but the two steps may beconsecutively performed.

In accordance with the aforementioned embodiment, in performing invasivetreatment, although a target location is moved due to the insertion ofthe insertion unit, treatment can be performed at an accurate locationby compensating for an insertion depth. Furthermore, although bendingoccurs in the insertion unit in addition to the occurrence ofdisplacement of a tissue, the step of adjusting an insertion depth orrestoring the bending is performed by taking into consideration theoccurrence of the bending and the occurrence of displacement of thetissue, thereby being capable of performing treatment at an accuratelocation and minimizing damage to a tissue.

Hereinafter, other embodiments in which the aforementioned embodimentshave been further embodied are described. That is, in the followingembodiments, the technical contents of the aforementioned embodimentshave been applied to a treatment apparatus for the skin. The elements ofthe following embodiments corresponding to the elements of theaforementioned embodiments should be construed as being capable ofimplementing the technical contents of the aforementioned embodiments.In this case, in order to avoid redundant description in describing thepresent embodiment, a detailed description of contents corresponding tothe aforementioned embodiments is omitted.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a treatment apparatus according toanother embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 19 is aperspective view showing the handpiece of the treatment apparatus ofFIG. 18. The treatment apparatus 1 according to the present invention isan apparatus in which the insertion unit is inserted into a skin tissueof the human body and transfers energy to the inside of the skin tissue.In the present embodiment, the insertion unit includes a plurality ofmicro needles, and may treat a tissue using a fractional treatmentmethod (a method of performing treatment on a location portion area unitseparated at the end of each needle by transferring fine energy to theend of the needle) by transferring energy to the inside of a skin tissuethrough the ends of the micro needles. Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, thetreatment apparatus according to the present invention includes a mainbody 100, a handpiece 200 that is graphed by a user and through whichtreatment can be performed, and a connection unit 400 connecting themain body and the handpiece.

An RF generator (not shown) may be provided within the main body 100.The RF generator is an element corresponding to the treatment operationunit (refer to 30 of FIG. 1) of the aforementioned embodiment, andgenerates RF energy used for treatment. The frequency of the RF energygenerated by the RF generator may be controlled depending on thephysical constitution, treatment purpose, a treatment portion, etc., ofa patient. For example, RF energy used for skin treatment may beadjusted in the range of 0.1 to 0.8 MHz.

A power on/off switch 110, a frequency control lever 120 capable ofcontrolling the frequency of RF energy generated by the RF generator,and a touch screen 130 displaying a variety of types of informationincluding the operating contents of the treatment apparatus, enabling auser to input a command, and displaying treatment information may bepositioned on an external surface of the main body 100.

Meanwhile, the handpiece 200 is connected to the main body by theconnection unit 400. The connection unit 400 may transfer RF energygenerated by the RF generator of the main body to a plurality of needles320 corresponding to the insertion unit of the aforementionedembodiment, and may transfer power from the main body, which isnecessary for various elements on the handpiece side to operate. Theconnection unit 400 is configured in a cable form, and may use a cableincluding a plurality of conducting wires whose metal lines aresurrounded by insulating coating.

A driving unit 210 is positioned within the handpiece 200. The drivingunit 210 is configured to linearly move output terminals 211 provided atthe end of the driving unit in the length direction. When the outputterminals 211 linearly move, the plurality of needles 320 disposed atthe ends of the output terminals may pop in and out to the outside ofthe contact surface of the handpiece. Accordingly, the plurality ofneedles 320 may be inserted into a tissue of a patient or drawn out fromthe tissue by the driving of the driving unit 210. The driving unit 210may be configured using a linear actuator using a solenoid, ahydraulic/pneumatic cylinder, etc.

A handpiece manipulation unit 230 and a handpiece display unit 220 maybe provided on an external surface of the handpiece 200. The handpiecemanipulation unit 230 is configured to manipulate the on/off of thehandpiece, control the insertion depth of the insertion unit, or controlthe amount of energy transferred through the insertion unit. Thehandpiece display unit 220 may display a variety of types of informationnecessary in a set mode or during treatment with respect to a user.Accordingly, in the state in which the user has graphed the handpiece,the user can easily manipulate treatment contents during treatmentthrough the handpiece manipulation unit 230, and can easily checktreatment contents through the handpiece display unit 220.

A tip module 300 is provided at the end of the handpiece. The tip moduleincludes the plurality of needles and may be detachably positioned atthe main body 201 of the handpiece. Specifically, a base 301 forms thebottom of the tip module, and outward protruded detachment protrusions307 are formed at the outer wall of the base. Guide grooves 241 thatguides the detachment protrusions and an anti-separation groove 242 forpreventing the detachment protrusions 307 guided along the guide grooves241 from being separated are formed in a recess unit 240 to which thetip module is coupled on the handpiece side. Furthermore, the detachmentprotrusions 307 of the tip module are disposed at the handpiece in suchmanner that they are guided along the guide grooves 241 and coupled tothe anti-separation groove 242. In this case, an example in which thetip module is detachably positioned at the handpiece as in the presentembodiment is illustrative, and the tip module may be integrated withthe handpiece.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the end of the handpiece of FIG.19. Referring to FIG. 20, the end of the handpiece 200 is a portion thatcomes into contact with a skin tissue and where treatment is performed.A support plate 310 in which the plurality of needles 320 is disposed isprovided within the tip module. The plurality of needles 320 is fixedand disposed in the support plate 310 in a matrix form. RF energy istransferred to the plurality of needles through a circuit formed in thesupport plate 310. The front S of the tip module may form a portion thatneighbors or comes into contact with the skin of a patient upontreatment. A plurality of through holes 302 through which the pluralityof needles pops in and out is formed in the front S.

At least one hole 303 through which the output terminal 211 can pass isprovided at the bottom of the tip module. The output terminal 211pressurizes the support plate 310 while linearly moving along the hole303 when the driving unit 210 operates. The back of the support plate310 is seated in a support 304 within the tip module. The front of thesupport plate 310 is pressurized by an elastic member 330 positionedwithin the tip module. When the output terminal 211 moves andpressurizes the support plate 310, the support plate 310 is separatedfrom the support 304 and is advanced. Accordingly, the plurality ofneedles 320 pop out to the front of the through hole 302 and is insertedinto a skin tissue. Furthermore, when the output terminal 211 isretracted by the driving of the driving unit 210, the support plate 310is retracted by the restoring force of the elastic member 330, and thusthe plurality of needles 320 also returns to the inside of the tipmodule. Although not separately shown in the drawing, a separate guidemember for guiding the path along which the aforementioned support platemoves may be further provided.

Although not specifically shown in the drawing, the circuit of thesupport plate 310 may be configured to be electrically connected to theRF generator of the main body when the tip module is positioned in thehandpiece. Alternatively, the circuit of the support plate may beselectively configured to be electrically connected to the RF generatorwhen the support plate is pressurized by the output terminal 211 (e.g.,an electrode may be formed at the end of the output terminal and may beelectrically connected to the support plate upon pressurization).

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of one of theplurality of needles of FIG. 20. Each needle 320 may be a micro needlehaving a diameter of approximately 5 to 500 μm. The needle 320 is madeof a conductive material so that it can transfer RF energy. A portionthat belongs to a surface of each needle and that excludes a tip thereofis made of an insulating material 321 so that RF energy is nottransferred to a tissue. Accordingly, part of the tip of each needlefunctions as an electrode 322, and the needle is configured to transferRF energy to a tissue through the tip. Accordingly, during treatment,the needle can selectively transfer RF energy to a portion where the endof the needle is positioned.

Referring back to FIG. 20, a bending sensing unit 370 is provided at theend of the handpiece 200. The bending sensing unit 370 includes aplurality of motion sensors disposed along the periphery of the pathalong which the micro needles proceed. Accordingly, the bending sensingunit 370 may measure whether bending occurs and/or the degree of bendingwhile the micro needles are inserted. The motion sensors include imagecapturing devices and may sense the bending characteristics of the microneedles while the micro needles are inserted. Alternatively, the motionsensors are configured to sense a change in the location of a marker(e.g., a magnetic body) formed in the length direction of the microneedles, and may sense the bending characteristics of the micro needlesby sensing the progress path of the micro needles while the microneedles are inserted. Alternatively, the motion sensor includes a lightradiation unit 370 a provided on one side of the progress path of themicro needle and an imaging device 370 b provided on the other sidethereof, and may sense whether the needle is bent or not duringinsertion using information of light received by the imaging device.

Meanwhile, a displacement sensing unit 360 is provided at the end of thehandpiece 200. The displacement sensing unit 360 measures displacementof a skin surface during treatment. For example, the displacementsensing unit 360 includes a movable member 340 movably positioned in theinsertion direction of the needles 320 and a sensing member 350detecting the amount of movement of the movable member.

As shown in FIG. 20, the movable member 340 may be provided in the tipmodule. Movable member holes 305 are formed at both ends of the tipmodule, so the movable member 340 is positioned in a form to penetratethe tip module along the movable member holes 305. A stopper 341 havinga greater diameter than the movable member hole may be formed in thebody of the movable member 340. Accordingly, the movable member 340 canfreely move without restriction in the vertical direction, that is, inthe moving direction of the needles, within the range in which themovement of the movable member 340 is not restricted by the stopper 341.At this time, the front part of the movable member 340 coming intocontact with a surface of a skin tissue during treatment may beconfigured to be exposed toward the front of the tip module in a maximumadvancement state and to be received within the tip module in a maximumretraction state. Furthermore, the rear part of the movable member 340may be configured to be protruded toward the back of the tip module in amaximum advancement state and maximum retracted state.

The sensing member 350 is configured to be positioned within the mainbody 100 of the handpiece separately from the tip module (refer to FIG.20), and detects the amount of movement of the movable member 340. Forexample, the sensing member 350 is configured to detect a change in themagnetic field. Furthermore, the sensing member 350 may detect a changein the magnetic field according to a movement of a magnetic body 342provided at the back of the movable member, and may measure the amountof movement of the movable member 340 based on the detected change.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing the state right before theneedles are inserted during a treatment process using the handpiece ofFIG. 20. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in whichthe needles have been inserted during a treatment process using thehandpiece of FIG. 20.

As shown in FIG. 22, upon treatment, the end (the end equipped with theneedles) of the handpiece is downward positioned to come into contactwith a skin tissue T. In this case, the movable member 340 movesdownward by gravity, comes into contact with the skin surface, andmaintains the state in which it is supported by the skin surface.Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 23, when downward displacement occurs inthe skin surface due to the insertion of the needles 320, the movablemember 340 also moves downward by the displacement of the skin surface.At this time, the sensing member may measure the displacement of theskin surface by measuring the amount of movement of the movable member340.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified embodiment of thehandpiece of FIG. 19. In FIG. 20, the movable member of the displacementsensing unit has been configured to be included in the tip module andthe sensing member has been configured to be included in the main bodyof the handpiece. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 24, both the movablemember and the sensing member may be configured to be included in themain body of the handpiece.

As shown in FIG. 24, a channel 306 through which the movable member canpenetrate may be provided at the center of the tip module 300.Furthermore, the movable member 340 is positioned within the main body201 of the handpiece to freely move in the insertion direction of theneedles within the range in which the movable member 340 is notrestricted by the stopper 341. At this time, the front part of themovable member 340 may be configured to be protruded and exposed towardthe front of the tip module in a maximum advancement state, and may beconfigured to be received within the channel 306 of the tip module in amaximum retraction state. Furthermore, the sensing member 350 ispositioned close to the back of the movable member 340, and may measurethe amount of movement of the movable member 340 by sensing a change inthe magnetic field by the magnetic body 342 positioned in the movablemember.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view showing another modified embodiment ofthe handpiece of FIG. 19. In FIG. 25, the displacement sensing unit 360does not include a movable member and a sensing member, but may sensedisplacement of a tissue using a photosensor positioned at the end of askin contact surface of the handpiece. Furthermore, as in the methodshown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the bending sensing unit 370 includes a pluralityof sensors disposed along the periphery of the support plate on theinner wall of the handpiece, and may sense whether bending has occurredby measuring the gradient of the support plate.

Although FIGS. 20 and 25 show the configurations of various displacementsensing units as described above, the displacement sensing unit may bechanged and implemented in other forms.

As in the aforementioned embodiments, the treatment apparatus of thepresent embodiment may perform treatment in such a manner that theoperations of the driving unit 210 and the RF generator (an elementcorresponding to the treatment operation unit of FIG. 6) are controlledand thus the plurality of needles 320 corresponding to the insertionunit (refer to 10 of FIG. 6) is inserted into a skin tissue andtransfers RF energy to a target location.

In this case, the controller may control the treatment operation bytaking into consideration displacement information of a skin surfaceoccurring due to the insertion of the insertion unit during treatmentand information about the occurrence of the bending of the insertionunit when the insertion unit is inserted. If it is determined thatbending has not occurred, the controller performs the operation of thefirst mode as a normal mode. If it is determined that bending hasoccurred, the controller performs the operation of the second mode forerror compensation for the occurrence of the bending. Control contentsinto which such displacement and bending have been taken intoconsideration comply with the control step described with reference toFIGS. 12 to 17 of the aforementioned embodiments, and a detaileddescription of each step is omitted in order to avoid redundancy of thedescription.

The ends of the micro needles of the treatment apparatus reach anaccurate target location through such an operation and transfer RFenergy to the target location, thereby being capable of performingtreatment. Accordingly, the RF energy is delivered to the dermal layercorresponding to the target location and heats the dermal layer, therebybeing capable of causing the contraction of collagen to form a newcollagen structure. Furthermore, when the treatment, is completed, thecontroller may drive the driving unit so that the plurality of needlesis drawn out from the tissue, thereby being capable of terminating thetreatment.

In this case, the step of setting the first length depending on a shapeof the handpiece and an insertion method in the aforementioned step maybe differently performed. Hereinafter, symbols are defined as followsfor convenience of description.

L1: First length

Ld: Distance from a tissue surface to a target location in the normalstate

Ld′: Distance from the tissue surface to the target location in thepressurized state

L0: Distance that the end of the insertion unit has advanced from theinitial location of the insertion unit until it reaches the tissuesurface

First, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, if a tissue surface is not separatelypressurized before the tissue surface is pressurized by the insertionunit, a value of the first length L1 may be set as a value of Ld asdescribed above.

In this case, if a contact surface of the handpiece and the end of theinsertion unit are separated when the handpiece is positioned, the endof the insertion unit needs to advance by a given distance until itreaches the tissue surface. Accordingly, in this case, a value of thefirst length L1 may be set as a value of the sum of a value of the Ldand a value of the L0.

Moreover, a tissue surface has already been pressurized before theinsertion unit pressurizes the tissue surface. For example, when thehandpiece is positioned, the insertion unit may be inserted in the statein which a tissue surface has been pressurized through a contact surfaceof the handpiece. This state may be different from the state in whichthe distance from the tissue surface to a target location has not beenpressurized depending on a characteristic of the tissue. Accordingly, inthis case, a value of the first length L1 may be set as a value of theLd′ or may be set as a value of the sum of a value of the Ld′ and avalue of the L0. In this case, a value of the Ld′ may be obtained usingpreviously stored information of the database depending on the type oftissue.

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of thehandpiece in an insertion operation according to another embodiment.FIG. 26 shows an element further including a pressure sensor 380 at theend of the handpiece compared to the aforementioned embodiment. FIG. 26shows a structure in which a contact surface is formed at the bottom ofthe case of the main body of the handpiece and the pressure sensor ispositioned on the contact surface, but the end of a tip includes acontact surface and the pressure sensor is positioned at the end of thetip.

The pressure sensor may measure a force that a tissue surface ispressurized by a contact surface before the insertion operation of theinsertion unit is performed. In this case, the controller may measurethe amount of applied pressure through the pressure sensor and insertthe insertion unit by controlling the driving unit when the appliedpressure reaches a specific amount so that the insertion operation ofthe insertion unit is performed in the state in which tension of a givenamount or more has been formed in the skin surface.

If the separate pressure sensor is provided in the contact surface as inthe present embodiment, a value of the Ld′ can be precisely checked inreal time. A value of the Ld′ can be accurately checked using measuredinformation and information (e.g., the graph of FIG. 6) stored in thedatabase because the applied pressure of a contact force can be measuredin real time when treatment is performed. Accordingly, although appliedpressure through a contact surface is greatly changed or a change in thedistance up to a target location according to the applied pressure isgreat, treatment can be performed by accurately setting the first lengthvalue.

The treatment apparatus that performs treatment by transferring RFenergy to a skin tissue has been chiefly described above. This is anexample, and may be applied to a treatment apparatus aimed at anothertissue not a skin tissue. Furthermore, the treatment apparatus may beapplied to various treatment apparatuses, such as a treatment apparatusperforming treatment using a method of transferring a treatmentsubstance in addition to a treatment apparatus performing treatmentusing a method of transferring RF energy. Moreover, the treatmentapparatus including the main body and the handpiece has been basicallydescribed, but is not limited thereto, and may be applied to a treatmentapparatus configured in a single module form of the handpiece.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described indetail, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. It is tobe noted that a person having ordinary skill in the art to which thepresent invention pertains may modify or change the present invention invarious manners without departing from the scope of the technicalcharacteristics of the present invention defined in the claims.

1. A treatment apparatus, comprising: an insertion unit comprising a plurality of microneedles and configured to be inserted into a tissue located in a dermal layer or a subcutaneous fat layer through a skin surface; a bending sensing unit sensing bending of the insertion unit occurring during insertion; and a controller controlling an insertion operation of the insertion unit based on information sensed by the bending sensing unit.
 2. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the bending of the insertion unit is sensed by the bending sensing unit, the controller controls the insertion operation of the insertion unit so that an end of the insertion unit reaches a target location in a state in which the bending of the insertion unit has been restored.
 3. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the bending of the insertion unit is sensed by the bending sensing unit, the controller advances the insertion unit up to a restoration depth at which the bending is restored and then retracts the end of the insertion unit so that the end of the insertion unit reaches the target location.
 4. The treatment apparatus of claim 3, wherein the restoration depth is positioned in a layer having a lower insertion resistance characteristic than a surface layer of the tissue.
 5. The treatment apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller waits for a restoration time for which the bending of the insertion unit is restored in the state in which the insertion unit has been advanced up to the restoration depth, and then retracts the insertion unit.
 6. The treatment apparatus of claim 5, wherein the waiting time is between 0.05 second to 1 second.
 7. The treatment apparatus of claim 5, wherein the waiting time is controlled based on a degree of the bending of the insertion unit sensed by the bending sensing unit.
 8. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the insertion operation in a first mode when the bending of the insertion unit sensed by the bending sensing unit is a reference value or less and controls the insertion operation in a second mode when the bending of the insertion unit sensed by the bending sensing unit exceeds the reference value.
 9. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bending sensing unit senses whether the bending of the insertion unit occurs based on whether a support plate in which the insertion unit is positioned is inclined.
 10. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bending sensing unit comprises a motion sensor positioned at a location close to an end of the handpiece and sensing whether the insertion unit has been bent.
 11. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a displacement sensing unit measuring displacement of the tissue surface occurring due to the insertion of the insertion unit, wherein the controller controls the insertion operation of the insertion unit by taking into consideration displacement sensed by the displacement sensing unit.
 12. The treatment apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller additionally inserts the insertion unit in accordance with displacement occurring in the tissue surface.
 13. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insertion unit comprises a plurality of micro needles.
 14. The treatment apparatus of claim 13, wherein the micro needle has a diameter of 10 to 1000 μm.
 15. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insertion unit comprises an energy transfer member transferring energy to the target location in the state in which the insertion unit has been inserted into the tissue.
 16. The treatment apparatus of claim 15, wherein when the bending is sensed to be not restored through the insertion operation, the controller controls to transfer energy having lower output than preset energy to the target location or to not transfer energy to the target location.
 17. A treatment apparatus, comprising: a handpiece; an insertion unit formed to advance and retract to and from one side of the handpiece and inserted into a tissue to transfer energy to a target location; a bending sensing unit sensing bending of the insertion unit occurring during insertion of the insertion unit; and a controller controlling an insertion operation of the insertion unit based on information sensed by the bending sensing unit.
 18. A method of controlling a treatment apparatus, comprising steps of: positioning an insertion unit on a tissue surface; inserting the insertion unit into the tissue by advancing the insertion unit; sensing bending of the insertion unit occurring during the insertion of the insertion unit; and controlling an insertion operation of the insertion unit based on the sensed bending information.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of controlling the insertion operation comprises: advancing the insertion unit up to a restoration depth at which the bending is restored, and then retracting the insertion unit to a target location when the bending of the insertion unit is sensed through a bending sensing unit.
 20. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of controlling the insertion operation comprises a step of waiting for a restoration time for which the bending of the insertion unit is stored in the state in which the insertion unit has been advanced up to the restoration depth. 